Evaluation of modeling–role-playing and lecture-discussion training techniques for college student mental health professionals.

Investigated the efficacy of experiential modeling–role-playing and lecture–discussion training techniques for 45 college student mental health paraprofessionals. The sample was predominantly (82%) female, between 18 and 24 yrs of age (89%), and without previous counseling training (66%) or experience (84%). The Lister's Helper Response Preference Inventory and ratings of empathy and global counseling skills based on the interpersonal interactions of the Group Assessment of Interpersonal Traits show significantly better counseling skills for the students trained with the modeling–role-playing program than for the untrained controls. Findings support the use of modeling and role-playing training techniques for enhancing paraprofessionals' counseling skills. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and initial validation of the Multicultural Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale--Racial Diversity Form.

Drawing upon social-cognitive theory and the multicultural counseling competency literature, the Multicultural Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale-Racial Diversity Form (MCSE-RD) was developed to assess perceived ability to counsel racially diverse clients. Data were collected from 181 graduate students in counseling-related programs, 41 undergraduate psychology students, and 22 graduate students enrolled in a prepracticum course. Results of an exploratory factor analysis retained 37 items and identified three underlying factors: Multicultural Intervention, Multicultural Assessment, and Multicultural Session Management. MCSE-RD subscale and total scores produced adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates. Initial validity findings indicated theory-consistent relations of MCSE-RD scores with general counseling self-efficacy, multicultural counseling competency, social desirability, therapist demographics, and educational/training variables. Participation in prepracticum was associated with positive change in MCSE-RD scores. Implications for training and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of sex role orientation and gender on counseling skills training.

34 female and 13 male 21–46 yr old postgraduate counselor education students, enrolled in 1 semester of counseling skills training, completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, taped pre- and posttraining quasi-counseling sessions, and took a videotape counseling skills exam. Factorial ANOVAS indicated that sex-role orientation had a significant effect on counseling skills scores and counselor response effectiveness before and after training. Gender had no significant effect. The masculine sex-role-oriented Ss were rated less effective than the undifferentiated sex-role-oriented Ss on counseling skills. All Ss improved over time; those in the androgynous orientation group, significantly more effective prior to training, were not more effective after training. Results suggest that counseling skills training should consider trainee sources of variation in learning. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality correlates of vocational counseling outcome.

Investigated the relationship between scores on the Adjective Check List (ACL), Educational Interest Inventory (EII), and the Vocational Decision-Making Checklist (VDMC) and several vocational counseling outcome measures. 60 male undergraduates unsure about their choice of major received either model-reinforcement counseling, traditional counseling, or no counseling. Correlations between the ACL and EII scores, change in pre- and postcounseling certainty of major, and change in VDMC scores were analyzed. Results suggest that personality factors are related to progress in vocational counseling. The improving client, in general, appears to be outgoing, self-confident, and to have a tendency to be controlling. Data also suggest that change as a result of the traditional, more nondirective counseling may require more self-confidence and a greater ability to assert oneself in interpersonal situations than is necessary with a behavioral counseling approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of the Counselor Response Questionnaire.

A 15-item paper-and-pencil questionnaire measuring effectiveness in the selection of appropriate counselor responses to client statements was developed from a microcounseling orientation. The Counselor Response Questionnaire (CRQ) is intended primarily for measuring beginning counseling skills. The sample included 157 undergraduates in an introductory psychology course, 19 advanced undergraduates and graduate psychology majors with some training in counseling skills, 80 paraprofessional drug-abuse counselors, and 15 doctoral-level counselors and clinical psychologists. The internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and factor structure of the CRQ are discussed, and the discriminant validity of the CRQ is supported by results from a discriminant analysis. Additional evidence of validity is given by the correlation of scores on the CRQ with rankings of paraprofessional counselor trainees on counseling effectiveness and with ratings of responses in a simulated counseling interview. The overall results indicate that the CRQ is a valid and efficient measure of beginning counseling skills. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Congruence and vocational identity: Outcomes of career counseling with persuasive power.

A study with 84 female and 52 male community-college students with specific occupational choices tested whether congruence between occupational choice and inventoried interests and vocational identity are related to typical career counseling outcomes. Ss completed the Self-Directed Search congruence scale, a vocational identity scale, several scales from the Career Development Inventory, and the IPAT. Ss were categorized as congruent or not congruent and high or low in vocational identity. ANOVA tested whether the Ss differed on estimated career management skill, general and specific career information, decision making, and anxiety. Analyses were not significant for males but showed that females higher in identity estimated higher career maturity. Females high in congruence reported less anxiety, and females high in both congruence and identity had higher career decision-making skills and tended to have more general information. Findings suggest that congruence not accompanied by a sense of vocational identity is a transitional state, whereas high identity without congruence reflects an incomplete evaluation of self in relation to career. Implications for using congruence and vocational identity as outcome measures of counseling are discussed. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using research to determine the efficacy and modes of treatment in university counseling centers: Comment on Jobes, Jacoby, Cimbolic, and Hustead (1997) and Hayes (1997).

The articles by D. A. Jobes, A. M. Jacoby, P. Cimbolic, and L. A. T. Hustead (1997) and J. A. Hayes (1997) in the Special Section on Research in Counseling Centers are reviewed in the context of changes in college and university counseling centers. D. A. Jobes et al.'s study dealt with the development and application of the Suicide Status Form; J. A. Hayes's study reported the results of a factor analysis of the Brief Symptom Inventory that used data gathered specifically from college students. Suggestions are offered as to how the results of these studies might be applied to current counseling center work. A greater role for research in counseling centers is argued for, and examples of how research might abet counseling center personnel in their attempts to be both efficient and efficacious are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family Intervention for Suicide Prevention: A specialized emergency department intervention for suicidal youths.

Suicide attempts and suicidal ideation are common problems among youths seen in clinical practice. Despite the high risk of repeated suicidal behavior in these patients, clinicians are faced with a lack of empirically supported treatments for these youths. This article describes the Family Intervention for Suicide Prevention (FISP), a second-generation adaptation of the Specialized Emergency Room Intervention, an evidence-based practice. Although designed for use in emergency settings, the FISP can be used by practitioners working in a wide range of settings where youths present with suicidal emergencies. Rooted in cognitive–behavioral and family systems theory, the FISP is designed to mobilize family support and problem solving, reframe the suicide attempt as a critical event that requires treatment, reinforce more adaptive coping, motivate patients and families to initiate and adhere to follow-up treatment, and promote linkage to follow-up care. This approach can be used with a wide range of patients and offers an evidence-informed tool for practicing clinicians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Provider training for patient-centered alcohol counseling in a primary care setting

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a brief training program on primary care providers' skills, attitudes, and knowledge regarding high-risk and problem drinking. DESIGN: Training plus pretesting and posttesting for program efficacy. SETTING: Ambulatory primary care clinic; academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen attending physicians, 12 residents, and 5 nurse practitioners were randomized by clinical team affiliation to a Special Intervention or usual care condition of a larger study. We report the results of the training program for the Special Intervention providers. INTERVENTION: Providers received a 2-hour group training session plus a 10- to 20-minute individual tutorial session 2 to 6 weeks after the group session. The training focused on teaching providers how to perform patient-centered counseling for high-risk and problem drinkers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Alcohol counseling skills; attitudes regarding preparedness to intervene and perceived importance and usefulness of intervening with high-risk and problem drinkers; and knowledge of the nature, prevalence, and appropriate treatment of alcohol abuse in primary care populations. RESULTS: After training, providers scored significantly higher on measures of counseling skills, preparedness to intervene, perceived usefulness and importance of intervening, and knowledge. CONCLUSION: A group training program plus brief individual feedback can significantly improve primary care providers' counseling skills, attitudes, and knowledge regarding high-risk and problem drinkers.     

Interrelationship of study skills and personality variables in college students.

Although training in improved study skills is an important function of counseling center personnel, study skills are typically perceived as cognitive skills unrelated to other aspects of functioning. This study was undertaken to determine the relationship of study skills (i.e., study habits and attitudes), as measured by the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes, to personality variables, as measured by the California Psychological Inventory. Data from 201 freshmen (correlational, contrasted groups, and factor analyses) clearly indicate the complex interdependence of study skills with personality factors and the need to take the latter into consideration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Participation in counseling programs: High-risk participants are reluctant to accept HIV-prevention counseling.

HIV-prevention intervention effectiveness depends on understanding whether clients with highest need for HIV-prevention counseling accept it. With this objective, a field study with a high-risk community sample from the southeastern United States (N = 350) investigated whether initial knowledge about HIV, motivation to use condoms, condom-use-relevant behavioral skills, and prior condom use correlate with subsequent acceptance of an HIV-prevention counseling session. Ironically, participants with high (vs. low) motivation to use condoms, high (vs. low) condom-use-relevant behavioral skills, and high (vs. low) prior condom use were more likely to accept the HIV-prevention counseling. Moreover, the influence of motivation to use condoms, condom-use-relevant behavioral skills, and prior condom use on acceptance of the counseling was mediated by expectations that the counseling session would be useful. Methods to reduce barriers to recruitment of clients for counseling programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A review of the problem-solving literature and its relationship to the counseling process.

Analyzes the problem-solving process within counseling by extending a problem-solving model proposed by T. J. D'Zurilla and M. R. Goldfried (1971). It is maintained that the counseling process can be viewed as a problem-solving event, a perspective that may lead researchers into new research problems and greater specificity. Selected research from psychological, industrial, and counseling fields is used to delineate essential problem-solving skills as well as hypotheses regarding techniques to develop such skills. It is concluded that more research is needed to analyze the behavior of successful problem solvers and to determine the most efficacious manner to facilitate problem-solving skills in a counseling context. Several areas of research are suggested in terms of specific problem-solving skills as well as research problems in general. (83 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Client compliance with homework directives during counseling.

Investigated compliance with homework directives in counseling in 61 clients (aged 21+ yrs), with the cooperation of 18 post-master's degree counselors in a community counseling agency for adults. Compliance was examined as a function of counselor variables, client variables, and therapy variables, using rankings of counselor ability and skills, a rating of cases, and data on homework assignments. Neither counselor ability nor specific counseling skills were related to client compliance. Initial severity of client problems was related to outcome but not to compliance. Clients who remained in counseling had better compliance than those who terminated early. Whether clients presented career or personal/emotional problems was unrelated to compliance. Therapy variables that predicted compliance included assignments given early in counseling, a history of compliance, and whether counselors checked their client's attitude about homework and did not stress their own status. It is suggested that variables associated with the conduct of counseling more strongly influence compliance with homework than do either counselor or client variables. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of supervisory style on counselor effectiveness and facilitative responding.

Examined the effects of high and low didactic or experiential supervision groups and a no-supervision group on counselor effectiveness and facilitative responding. 30 undergraduates were assigned as counselors on a random stratified basis by sex and supervisor to the 5 groups for 3 counseling interviews, the 1st 2 followed by supervision. Three actresses portrayed clients, and supervisors had a minimum of 1 yr's experience. The dependent variables, counselor effectiveness as measured by the Counseling Evaluation Inventory and facilitative responding as measured by the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory, were subjected to a series of 1-way ANOVAs. Duncan's new multiple-range test was used for comparisons of means. Results indicate that inexperienced counseling students can be taught specific basic counseling skills in a brief supervisory encounter of a didactic or combined didactic–experiential nature coupled with some form of actual practice. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training students in education of the hypertensive patient: enhanced performance after a simulated patient instructor (SPI)-based exercise

The process whereby a physician explains to the ill patient what has gone wrong and what can be done about it can be taught and evaluated by simulated patients (SPIs). This study was designed to determine whether a training experience in educating a diabetic SPI improves subsequent performance with a hypertensive SPI. Competence in educating a hypertensive SPI by students who had no prior training experience (n = 26) was compared to that of an experimental group (n = 20) that had a prior training session. Performance was assessed with a counseling skills scale and a case-specific content checklist (1 = poor to 5 = excellent). Students in the experimental group performed better than controls in both counseling skills (4.46 v 3.86, P < .01) and completeness of coverage of content (3.28 v 2.65, P < .01). Students in both groups focused more on clinical features and treatment than on laboratory testing and follow-up. The ability to counsel "patients" with hypertension can be enhanced by a prior learning experience with a diabetic SPI. Clinical application of knowledge about hypertension can be assessed by SPIs.     

A longitudinal study of who seeks counseling when.

Determined at what time the members of a university freshman class who sought counseling initiated their contacts with counselors. Over the 4-yr period 401 males and 319 females sought counseling. In general, the rate of initiation declined steeply over time, both by years and by quarters within years. An occasional reversal occurred for females. Characteristics of the Ss as related to time of initiating counseling were also studied, utilizing scores on the School and College Ability Test, Omnibus Personality Inventory, and SVIB, administered in freshman orientation. Neither male nor female Ss differed significantly in test results when time of counseling initiation was considered by the 4 academic quarters. By year, quarter by quarter, and by parts of quarters, the Omnibus Personality Inventory yielded significant results on some scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Errata: "A Longitudinal Study of Who Seeks Counseling When"

Reports an error in the original article "A Longitudinal Study of Who Seeks Counseling When" by W. Harry Sharp and Barbara A. Kirk (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1974[Jan], 21[1], 43-50). The sentence on page 50 should read as follows: "They appeared to be more intellectually oriented, less personally integrated, and altruistically inclined." (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1974-26400-001.) Determined at what time the members of a university freshman class who sought counseling initiated their contacts with counselors. Over the 4-yr period 401 males and 319 females sought counseling. In general, the rate of initiation declined steeply over time, both by years and by quarters within years. An occasional reversal occurred for females. Characteristics of the Ss as related to time of initiating counseling were also studied, utilizing scores on the School and College Ability Test, Omnibus Personality Inventory, and SVIB, administered in freshman orientation. Neither male nor female Ss differed significantly in test results when time of counseling initiation was considered by the 4 academic quarters. By year, quarter by quarter, and by parts of quarters, the Omnibus Personality Inventory yielded significant results on some scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The achievement test desk reference: A guide to learning disability identification, second edition.

Reviews the book, The achievement test desk reference: A guide to learning disability identification, second edition by Dawn P. Flanagan, Samuel O. Ortiz, Vincent C. Alfonso, and Jennifer T. Mascolo (2006). The Second Edition of the Achievement test desk reference comes only four years after its first edition. Its content echoes the first edition, with the chapters now re-organized and updated. However, this edition is also timely; its significant contributions are its theoretical and practical model for defining and assessing learning disabilities (LD) and its update of practical information for interpreting many of the new standardized achievement tests. The goal for this edition was to provide an integrated and systematic framework for achievement testing within the framework of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of human cognitive abilities and the Response to Intervention (RTI) movement. Part 1 of provides an update of the theories, definitions, assessment, interpretation, and identification of LD. Part 2 describes and reviews the psychometric, theoretical, and qualitative features of achievement tests published between 1996 and 2006 and normed on people from the United States. Part 3 provides a comprehensive, step-by-step process for assessing learning disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004). This volume guides practitioners to choose the best achievement tests to use. It shows how to get the most efficient and effective evaluations of students' academic skills that could account for their difficulties and possible learning disabilities. This book will be essential reference material for effective LD assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affective implications of seeking psychological counseling.

Asked 315 undergraduates to evaluate either "a typical person," "a typical person seeking counseling," "a client seeking counseling," or "a patient seeking counseling" on the Personal Attitude Inventory. Ss evaluated a typical person significantly more positively than the other target groups mentioned above. These findings held regardless of the sex of the respondent or whether the respondents had previously sought counseling services. It appears that counselors may need to continue to educate the public to offset the negative stereotypes that seem to be surrounding counseling and those who seek it. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)